Art display of slumping Israeli flag draws rancor of culture minister

"We are on the verge of collapse. Everyone can decide how he is facing the disturbing situation, what his responsibility is, and what he can do in order to change it."

By JULIANE HELMHOLD
Updated: MARCH 6, 2018 02:08
A flag used as a political statement in Tel Aviv on March 5, 2018. (photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/MAARIV)
A flag used as a political statement in Tel Aviv on March 5, 2018.
(photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/MAARIV)
Tel Aviv woke up Monday to another political display in Rabin Square: an Israeli flag that was tilted to the side and about to fall over.
An unconfirmed email to The Jerusalem Post thought to be from Itay Zalait, the artist who created the display, said: “The flag is not in its proper and upright state, but in an interim situation.”
“Some of the citizens feel that everything is good, it has never been better,” the email continued.
“There is security, a strong economy. There are no traffic jams. Others recognize that we are on the verge of collapse. Everyone can decide how he is facing the disturbing situation, what his responsibility is, and what he can do in order to change it.”
According to Ynet, the political display was erected by Zalait, the same artist who placed a golden statue of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the center of the square in December 2016.
The artist caused a stir after he placed the golden “King Bibi” statue in Kikar Rabin, with the hope of provoking public debate.
Zalait told the Post at the time, “The most important thing is to make people think and to not take things for granted,” “to imagine, without saying it’s good or bad, how it feels to live in a country where a statue of the leader is in the center of the town. Right now this feels like provocation, but it could become reality.”
The display of the tilted flag, which was erected Monday morning, was surrounded by four columns with a red rope between them, mimicking the display of the golden statue in 2016.
Culture Minister Miri Regev commented: “The flag is only falling according to certain parts of society that are not prepared to accept the decision of the voter. And this is a cheap and outrageous political provocation of left-wing circles for which the existence of a right-wing government is a day of mourning.”
“We will continue to proudly carry the flag and honor it,” she said.
Eliyahu Kamisher contributed to this report.